Fox: European Council must respect Cameron's four objectives on EU reform

The leader of the Conservative delegation in the European Parliament, Ashley Fox MEP, has warmly welcomed today's publication of the letter from David
Cameron setting out the four key objectives for reforming the UK's membership of the EU.

The Prime Minister's letter to the European Council President Donald Tusk paves the way for talks among EU leaders ahead of a promised referendum on
EU membership by the end of 2017.

Mr Fox said: "I believe that David Cameron's reasonable yet ambitious demands will finally end the process by which every new EU law or treaty leads
to more power for Brussels and less power for the nation state.

"Conservative MEPs are fully behind the prime minister's reform agenda, whether it be boosting competitiveness, building the single market or restricting
EU migrants' access to in-work benefits.

"Furthermore, as Mr Cameron said today, Britain is a proud and independent nation, and I believe the concept of 'ever closer union' is not supported
by the vast majority of the British people.

"I call upon Mr Tusk and other EU leaders to respect these priorities for reform and act upon them in their entirety.

"They must remember that David Cameron has a clear mandate from the British people to reform our relationship with the EU, and that it will ultimately
be the British people who will decide our future relationship with the EU."